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MRS.  LESLIE'S  BOOKS 


roR 


LITTLE    CHILDREN. 


THE  ROBIN  REDBREAST  SERIES. 


^ 


BOOKS  WEITTEN  OR  EDITED 

By  A.  R.  BAKER, 

AND    SOLD    BY    ALL    BOOKSELLERS. 


QUESTION  BOORS  on  the  Topics  of  Christ's 
Sermon  on  the  Mount. 

Vol.   I.   For  Children.       Vol.  II.  For  Youth. 

Vol.  III.   For  Adults. 

Lectures  on  these  Topics^  in  press, 

MRS.  LESLIE'S  SABBATH  SCHOOL  BOOKS. 

Tim,  the  Scissors  Grinder. 

Sequel  to  "  Tim,  the  Scissors  Grinder." 

Prairie  Flower. 

The  Bound  Boy. 

The  Bound  Girl. 

Virginia. 

The  Two  Homes;  or,  Earning  and  Spending. 

The  Organ-Grinder,  in  press. 

QUESTIO^f  BOORS.    The  Catechism  tested' 
by  the  Bible. 

Vol.  I.   For  Children.       Vol.  II.  For  Adults. 


THE  DERMOTT  FAMILY;  or,  Stones  Illus- 
trating the  Catechism. 

Vol.  I.  Doctrines  respecting  God  and  Mankind. 
"   11.  Doctrines  of  Grace, 
"  III.  Commandments  of  the  First  Table. 
''  IV.  Commandments  of  the  Second  Table. 
"    V.  Conditions  of  Eternal  Life. 

MRS.  LESLIE'S  HOME  LIFE. 

Vol.  I.    Cora  and  the  Doctor. 
"    II.    Courtesies  of  Wedded  Life. 
"  III.    The  Household  Angel. 

MRS.  LESLIE'S  JUVEMLE  SERIES. 

Vol.  I.  The  Motherless  Children. 

"    II.  Play  and  Study. 

"  III.  Howard  and  his  Teacher. 

"  IV.  Trying  to  be  Useful. 

"     V.  Jack,  the  Chimney  Sweeper. 

"   VI.  The  Young  Housekeeper. 

"  VII.  Little  Agnes. 


\ 


THE  LITTLE  FRANKIE  SERIES. 


LITTLE  FRANKIE  AND  HIS  MOTHER. 
LITTLE  FRANKIE  AT  HIS  PLAYS. 
LITTLE  FRANKIE  AND  HIS   COUSIN. 
LITTLE  FRANKIE  AND  HIS  FATHER. 
LITTLE  FRANKIE  ON  A  JOURNEY. 
LTITLE  FRANKIE  AT  SCHOOL. 


THE  ROBIN  REDBREAST  SERIES. 


THE  ROBINS'  NEST. 

LITTLE  ROBINS  IN  THE  NEST. 

LITTLE  ROBINS  LEARNING  TO  FLY. 

LITTLE  ROBINS  IN  TROUBLE. 

LITTLE  ROBINS'  FRIENDS. 

WTTLE  ROBINS'  LOVE  ONE  TO  ANOTHER. 


LITTLE    ROBINS    LEARNINO-    TO    PLY. 


LITTLE 


ROBINS  LEARNING  TO  FLY. 


^  BY 

MRS.  MADELINE  LESLIE,  \    -  ^ 

AUTHOR  OF  **THE  HOME  LIFE  SERIES;"  "MRS.  LESLIE*! 
JUVENILE  SERIES,"  ETC. 


oj^o- 


BOSTON: 

CROSBY    AND     NICHOLS. 

117  Washington  Street. 


Entered,  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1860,  by 

A.  R.  BAKER, 

In  the  Clerk's  OflQce  of  the  District  Court  of  the  District  of  Massachusetts. 


EDUOATTm\T  HEPT  - 


ELECTROTYPED    AT    THE 
BOSTON     STEREOTYPE     FOIJHDRT. 


LITTLE 

ROBINS  LEARNING  TO  FLT. 


CHAPTER    I. 
MR.  ROBIN'S  POOR   COUSINS, 

Early  one  May  morning,  Fred 
Symmes  was  sent  by  his  mother 
upon  an  errand  to  the  next  farm. 
He  did  not  go  around  by  the 
road,  but  jumped  over  the  stone 
wall,  and  passed  along  through 
the  pleasant  orchard.     As    he 

(7) 

ivi69855 


8        EOBINS  LEARNING  TO  FLY.    - 

came  near  the  pear  tree,  he 
saw  a  large  robin  flying  back 
an^/ forth  frpra  it,  and  stopping 
to*ilop3i:j;  :6<)on  discovered  a  nest 
in  the  fork  formed  by  two  of  the 
lower  limbs. 

"What  was  his  surprise,  as  the 
robin  flew  toward  the  ground,  to 
have  it  alight  on  his  arm !  when 
he  at  once  recognized  it  as  Mr. 
Robin,  who  had  a  wife  and  fam- 
ily in  the  elm  tree  near  the  cot- 
tage. 


MK.  ROBIN'S  POOR  COUSINS.       9 

"Why,  what  are  you  doing 
here  this  bright  morning?"  he 
asked,  holding  out  his  finger, 
upon  which  the  famihar  bird 
readily  perched. 

Mr.  Robin  cocked  his  head, 
turned  up  his  bright  eye,  and 
tried  to  explain.  But  as  Fred 
did  not  seem  to  understand,  and 
kept  saying,  "I  hope  you  have 
not  forsaken  your  wife  and  lit- 
tle nestlings,  pretty  birdie,"  he 
alighted  on  the  ground,  picked 


10      ROBINS  LEARNING  TO  FLY. 

up  a  worm,  and  flew  away  into 
the  tree. 

Fred  quickened  his  steps,  did 
his  errand  at  the  farm,  and  on 
his  return,  found  Mr.  Robin  had 
flown  away.  He  chmbed  into  a 
tree,  from  which  he  could  look 
into  the  nest.  There  he  saw  a 
female  bird  sheltering  her  young, 
who  were  feebly  chirping  as  she 
partly  rose  to  meet  the  intruder. 

She  uttered  a  cry  of  distress, 
and  began  to  flutter  her  wings ; 


MR  ROBIN'S  POOR  COUSINS.     11 

but  Fred  quickly  slid  down  from 
the  tree,  and  put  an  end  to  her 
alarm. 

When  he  reached  home,  both 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Robin  were  pick- 
ing up  crumbs  at  the  cottage 
door. 

"  Grandpa,"  said  he,  when  they 
were  seated  at  breakfast,  "  I  saw 
something  very  funny  this  morn- 
ing. I  found  our  robin  in  a  pear 
tree  near  Mr.  Bacon's  farm,  feed- 
ing a  whole  nest  full  of  birds." 


12      ROBIN'S  LEAENING  TO  FLY. 

« "W^ere  they  alone  ?  "  inquired 
Mr.  Symmes. 

"  JN'o,  father.  The  mother  bird 
was  there ;  and  he  fed  her  too." 

"I  suppose  the  father  has  been 
killed,"  suggested  the  old  gentle- 
man. "It  is  very  cruel  to  kill 
birds  when  they  have  little  fam- 
ilies to  take  care  of  But  I  have 
read  many  instances  where  birds 
have  assisted  each  other  when  in 
distress :  where  the  male  bird  has 
been  killed,  one  of  his  neighbors 


MR  EOBIN'S  POOR  COUSINS.     13 

has  fed  and  assisted  in  rearing 
the  young  brood,  at  the  same 
time  he  attended  to  the  wants 
of  his  own  family." 

An  hour  or  two  later,  grandpa 
sat  in  his  arm  chair  under  the 
shade  of  the  graceful  elm.  Fred 
had  brought  his  tools,  and  was 
converting  a  large  wooden  box 
into  a  playhouse  for  his  little 
sister.  Annie  stood  near  him, 
her  apron  filled  with  small  bits 
of  broken  china,  which  she  called 


i 


14      EOBINS  LEARNING  TO  FLY. 

her  disheSj  and  which  she  was 
waiting  to  arrange  in  her  new 
cupboard. 

It  was  very  warm;  and  the 
boy's  forehead  was  wet  with  per- 
spiration. He  drew  his  jacket 
sleeve  across  his  face,  as  he  ex- 
claimed, "  There,  Annie,  your 
house  is  done." 

"  Thank  you,  thank  you,  dear 
brother,"  cried  the  little  girl,  in 
an  ecstasy  of  dehght.  She  emp- 
tied the  bright-colored  crockery 


MR.  EOBIN'S  POOR  COUSINS.     15 

on  the  ground,  and  ran  to  the 
house  for  her  dolly  and  two 
chairs ;  the  latter  her  mother 
had  made  of  pieces  of  smooth 
cornstalks,  fastened  together  with 
pins. 

"  0,  ^^oesn't  it  look  pretty, 
grandpa?"  she  asked,  jumping 
up  and  down  in  her  glee.  "  See 
Minnie  sitting  in  her  parlor. 
JN'ow  I'll  set  up  my  dishes.  0 
dear ! "  she  added,  with  a  quick, 
appealing  glance  at  her  brother, 


16      EOBINS  LEAENING  TO  FLl. 

"  how  nice  it  would  be  if  I  had 
a  table!" 

"Well,  some  time  I'll  make  you 
one,"  answered  Fred,  with  a 
smile.  "  And  you  can  put  your 
dolly's  cradle  into  the  bed- 
room." ^ 

"  0  yes,"  shouted  Annie,  with 
a  cry  of  joy ;  and  she  ran  away 
to  fetch  it. 

"I  will  help  you  make  a  ta- 
ble," said  grandpa  to  Fred ;  "and 
I  think  we  can  manage  to  put 


MR  KOBIN'S  POOR  COUSINS.     17 

together  a  very  pretty  one  be- 
tween us." 

"I  want  to  hear  more  about 
birds  helping  each  other,"  said 
the  boy.  "It  seems  so  queer 
that  they  should  know  enough 
to  do  it." 

"  It  is  a  most  interesting  study," 
answered  the  old  gentleman,  "to 
watch  the  character  and  habits 
of  birds,  and  one  which  has 
engaged  the  attention  of  many 
learned  men.     There  is  no  por- 


18      EOBINS  LEAENING  TO  FLY. 

tion  of  God's  creation  in  which 
his  wisdom  is  more  displayed 
than  in  the  formation  of  birds. 
Each  and  every  variety  are  ex- 
actly fitted  for  the  circumstances 
in  which  they  are  to  be  placed. 
For  instance,  the  eagle,  who  lives 
on  high  crags  or  rocks,  almost 
inaccessible  to  man,  has  a  short, 
strong  beak,  hooked  at  the  end, 
wings  of  immense  strength,  and 
claws  large  and  sharp.  He  is 
gifted  with  extraordinary  clear- 


MR.  EOBIN'S  POOR  COUSINS.      19 

ness  of  sight.  Sitting  on  the 
summit  of  a  huge  rock,  or  sail- 
ing around  at  a  great  height  in 
the  air,  he  discerns  his  prey. 
Sometimes  it  is  a  fish  just  below 
the  surface  of  the  water,  or  a 
lamb  accidentally  separated  from 
its  mother.  He  shoots  down, 
down,  and  with  the  speed,  sure 
aim,  and  straightness  of  an  ar- 
row, pounces  upon  the  prey, 
and  carries  it  off  in  his  strong 
talons." 


20      ROBINS  LEAENING  TO  FLY. 

"  How  different  from  our  pret- 
ty little  robins ! "  exclaimed  Fred. 

"Yes,  the  eagle  is  a  bird  of 
prey,  and  is  formed  accordingly. 
The  robin  lives  upon  grubs,  in- 
sects, or  seeds  and  fruit.  It  is 
not  necessary,  therefore,  for  him 
to  be  possessed  of  much  strength. 
His  beak  is  just  fitted  for  the 
kind  of  labor  he  must  perform 
in  getting  his  food.  It  is  slight- 
ly notched  near  the  end.  He  is 
a  very  social  bird,  and  is  re- 


MR.  BOBIN'S  POOR  COUSINS.     21 

markable  for  the  bravery  with 
which  he  defends  his  young. 
Then  there  is  the  pehcan  of 
the  wilderness,  who  is  furnished 
with  a  large  pouch,  joined  to 
the  lower  part  of  his  beak,  in 
which  he  can  carry  a  consider- 
able quantity  of  food  to  his 
young." 


22      ROBINS  LEARNING  TO  FLY. 

CHAPTER    II. 
THE  HEN  HAWK. 

While  grandpa  and  Fred  were 
talking,  they  suddenly  heard  a 
loud  cry  of  distress  from  the 
hen  in  the  coop,  quickly  fol- 
lowed by  the  cluck,  cluck,  with 
which  she  summoned  her  chick- 
ens under  her  wings. 

Presently  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Robin 
seemed  to  partake  of  the  fright. 
She  uttered  continual  sharp  cries, 


THE  HEN  HAWK.  23 

while  her  husband  flew  with 
quick,  violent  motions  over  his 
nest. 

Fred  hastened  toward  the  barn, 
and  saw  a  large  hawk  sailing  in 
the  air  above  them.  He  ran  to 
call  his  father,  who  was,  fortu- 
nately, near  at  hand. 

"Bring  mj  gun,"  said  Mr. 
Sjmmes,  taking  down  a  flask 
of  powder  from  a  high  shelf  in 
the  shed. 

"I^ow  we'll   soon  bring  him 


24      ROBINS  LEARNING  TO  FLY, 

down,"  he  continuedj  stationing 
liimself  at  the  back  door.  He  took 
his  aim.  Annie  turned  pale,  and 
pressed  her  hands  over  her  ears. 
Then  came  the  report ;  and,  true 
enough,  the  great,  brown  bird  fell 
to  the  ground  just  in  front  of  the 
hen-coop  at  which  it  had  been 
aiming. 

"That  was  a  good  shot,"  re- 
marked grandpa,  walking  slowly 
to  the  place. 

"  I  seldom  miss  fire,"  said  Mr. 


THE  HEN  HAWK.  25 

Symmes,  with  a  look  of  honest 
pride.  "  My  hand  is  steady,  and 
the  gun  is  a  faithful  old  fellow, 
that  has  served  honorably  in 
war,  and  has  helped  me  to  get 
rid  of  many  an  enemy." 

"0, father,  see  how  it  flutters! 
It  is  not  quite  dead." 

"  Bring  it  here,  child,  and  I'll 
put  an  end  to  its  pain.  We 
should  always  avoid  keeping  any 
living  being  in  misery."-  He 
wrung  the  hawk's  neck,  though 


26      EOBINS  LEAENING  TO  FLY. 

Annie  screamedj  and  then  began 
to  cry. 

"Why,  sis,  do  you  want  our 
cliickens  and  birdies  all  carried 
off?"  asked  Fred.  "This  is  a 
bad  bird,  and  would  have  stolen 
them  away  if  father  had  not 
killed  it.  Hark !  there  are  the 
robins  now  singing  us  a  song  to 
thank  us  for  protecting  them." 

They  all  stopped  for  a  moment 
to  listen,  as  the  beautiful  song- 
sters warbled  forth  their  sweet 


THE  HEN  HAWK.  27 

strains,  filling  the  air  with  their 
rich  melody. 

"  Do  you  suppose  they  reaUy 
know  what  we  have  done  for 
them?"  inquired  the  boy. 

"Certainly  I  do,"  answered 
grandpa.  "  They  made  known 
their  wants  as  well  as  they  were 
able,  and  in  language  that  it  was 
easy  to  understand.  The  little 
nestlings  knew  at  once,  from  the 
cries  of  their  parents,  that  there 
was    danger    near,    and   joined 


28      ROBINS  LEARNING  TO  FLY. 

in  the  notes  of  distress.  IN'ow, 
while  their  father  and  mother 
sit  quietly  upon  the  bough  sing- 
ing their  thanks,  they  feel  sure 
the  danger  is  past,  and  that  no 
accident  will  happen  to  them." 

"  I'm  sure  the  chickies  knew," 
said  Annie.  "  They  ran  in  to 
their  mother  as  quick  as  they 
could,  and  cuddled  together  un- 
der her  wings." 

"They  knew  just  as  well," 
replied  her  father,  "and  under- 


THE  HEN  HAWK.  29 

stood  her  language  as  quick  as 
you  would  if  your  mother  saw 
a  great  lion  in  the  yard,  and 
called  you,  "  Annie,  come  here ! 
run  quick  into  the  house,  or  you 
will  be  kiUed!" 

In  the  mean  time,  Fred  had 
been  examining  the  dead  hawk, 
and  now  exclaimed,  "0,  what 
a  strong  bird  this  is!  I  don't 
wonder  smaller  ones  are  afraid 
of  it." 

"It  is  of  the  same  family  as 


30      ROBINS  LEARNING  TO  FLY. 

the  eagle  and  falcon/'  said  grand- 
pa, "though,  as  you  see,  its  beak 
is  very  short,  and  bends  grad- 
ually from  its  base.  It  is  natu- 
rally a  ferocious  bird,  but  is 
capable  of  strong  affection  for 
those  who  treat  it  with  kindness. 
In  England,  hawks  were  formerly 
much  prized,  as  they  were  trained 
to  catch  game  of  various  sorts, 
and  sometimes  became  so  tame 
that  they  would  not  only  come 
when    called,   but    they   would 


THE  HEN  HAWK.  31 

bring  home  to  their  owner  what- 
ever they  took  in  their  flight. 

"A  hawk  which  was  once 
owned  by  a  gentleman  in  Eng- 
land, escaped  from  its  owner, 
after  accompanying  him  on  a 
hunting  expedition,  and  flew  hun- 
dreds of  miles  in  the  short  space 
of  about  six  hours.  It  alighted 
on  a  vessel  bound  for  America 
from  Europe,  which  was  nearly 
midway  on  her  passage,  and  was 
recognized  by  a  silver  ring  on 


32      EOBINS  LKiRNING  TO  FLY. 

its  leg,  with  the  owner's  name 
engraved  upon  it." 

"Did  it  remain  on  board 
the  vessel  ?  "  inquired  Fred, 
earnestly. 

"For  some  days  it  did,  my 
dear,  and  then  it  took  its  flight." 

"  Do  you  suppose  it  could  find 
its  way  back  to  its  master?" 
asked  Annie. 

"0,  yes,  as  easily  as  the 
robins  in  the  tree  will  find  their 
way  back    to    our  farm  when 


THE  HEN  HAWK.  33 

spring  comes  again,"  said  grand- 
pa with  a  smile. 

"The  chickens  are  all  out 
again  now,"  said  the  little  girl, 
running  to  the  coop. 

"  Yes,  indeed ! "  exclaimed  her 
brother ;  "  they  have  forgotten 
all  about  their  fright  by  this 
time.  Grandpa,  what  would  you 
do  with  this  dead  hawk  ?  " 

"I  would  dig  a  hole  in  the 
ground  and  bury  it,  my  dear." 


34      ROBINS  LEARNING  TO  FLY. 
CHAPTER    III. 

LEARNING   TO   FLY. 

The  next  morning,  Fred  was 
awakened  earlier  than  usual  by 
a  loud  and  continued  chirping  in 
the  robins'  nest.  He  dressed 
himself  quickly,  and  ran  to  the 
window,  where  he  saw  Dick,  the 
largest  bird,  sitting  on  the  edge 
of  the  nest,  while  his  father  and 
mother  were  hopping  from  one 
bough  to  another,  twittering  in- 


LEARNING  TO  FLY.  35 

cessantly,  and  trying  to  encour- 
age him  to  try  his  wings. 

Fred  was  greatly  excited,  and 
ran  to  the  stairs  to  call  his  sister, 
who  slept  below  in  the  room 
with  her  parents. 

This  was  indeed  an  important 
day  in  the  robins'  nest.  Dick 
and  Jack,  Molly  and  Katy,  were 
now  fledged;  and  it  was  high 
time  for  them  to  begin  to  ex- 
ercise a  little. 

"  Dick  is  the  oldest,  and  must 


36      ROBINS  LEARNING  TO  FLY. 

try  his  wings  first,"  said  Mr. 
Robin,  firmly. 

"  I  dare  not,"  answered  Dick. 
"  It  makes  me  dizzy  only  to  look 
down." 

"  Don't  stop  to  look,  then,"  said 
his  mother.  "Spread  out  your 
wings  and  fly  away.  Try,  and 
you  will  find  it  very  easy.  Here, 
see  how  I  do  it."  She  perched 
for  a  moment  on  the  nest  by  his 
side,  and  then  slowly  raising  her 
wings,  flew  to  the  ground. 


LEARNING  TO  FLY.  37 

"I  know  I  shall  kill  myself/' 
muttered  the  cowardly  bird. 

"  Let  me  fly/'  exclaimed  Jack. 
"  It  looks  easy  when  you  do  it." 

"It  is  easy/'  said  his  father. 
"  It  is  only  to  make  up  your 
mind,  '  I  can  fly  if  I  will/  spread 
out  your  wings,  and  away  you 
go.  Dick,  as  you  are  the  oldest, 
the  privilege  of  leaving  the  nest 
first  is  yours ;  but  if  you  do  not 
start  before  I  chirp  three  times. 
Jack  may  take  your  place." 


38      ROBINS  LEARNING  TO  FLY. 

He  then  began,  "  Chirp,  cMrp, 
chirp ; "  but  the  foolish  Dick  did 
not  move. 

His  father  was  much  dis- 
pleased, and  gave  him  a  blow 
with  his  beak,  pushing  him  back 
into  the  nest. 

"  Come,  my  brave  Jack,"  said 
his  mother ;  "  you  shall  show  us 
how  easily  you  can  learn  to  fly." 

Poor  Jack's  heart  beat  strange- 
ly, as  he  saw  how  far  it  was  to 
the  ground.    His  mother  showed 


LEARNING  TO  FLY.  39 

him  how  to  move  his  wings,  con- 
tinually spreading  them,  flying  a 
yard  or  two,  and  then  returning. 

"  I  am  a  bird,  and  must  learn 
some  time,"  chirped  Jack ;  "  so 
here  goes — "  And  shutting  his 
eyes,  he  resolutely  let  go  his 
hold  of  the  nest,  and  came 
down,  rather  awkwardly,  to  be 
sure,  but  still  safely,  upon  the 
ground. 

His  mother  instantly  joined 
him.     "Good  Jack,"   said  she, 


♦ 


40      ROBINS  LEARNING  TO  FLY. 

"  I  am  proud  of  you  ; "  and  she 
repeatedly  touched  her  beak  to 
his. 

^' I 'thought  I  was  faUing,  fall- 
ing," answered  Jack ;  "  and  now 
that  I  am  here,  I'm  afraid  I 
shall  be  obliged  to  stay,  for  it 
'  seems  impossible  to  get  back." 

"Here,  take  this  worm,  my 
dear,"  said  his  mother,  "  and  then 
mount  that  little  bush." 

Jack  did  so,  and  found  he 
could  fly  a  short  distance  with 


LEAENING  TO  FLY.'  41 

perfect  ease  ;  indeed,  he  was  de- 
lighted with  the  exercise,  and, 
being  quite  pleased  with  his 
mother's  praise  of  his  conduct 
in  showing  more  courage  than 
his  brother,  he  thought,  "  There 
was  never  a  happier  robin  than 
I  am ! " 

"I  will  leave  jou,"  said  Mrs. 
Robin,  "for  I  see  your  father 
cannot  persuade  Dick  to  ven- 
ture. You  may  practise  from 
the  bush  to  the  ground  and  back 


42      EOBTNS  LEARNING  TO  FLY. 

until  I  return.  There  is  no  dan- 
ger," she  added,  as  she  saw  Jack 
turn  his  head  quickly  and  gaze 
anxiously  around.  "  All  are 
friends  to  us;  even  King,  the 
great  dog.  And  there  he  is 
now;  so  I  will  stay  and  intro- 
duce you  to  him." 

King  came  walking  into  the 
yard,  and  Mrs.  Robin  hopped 
boldly  up  to  him,  calling  Jack 
to  follow  her.  She  stopped  when 
she  was  within  a  few  feet  of  him, 


LEARNING  TO  FLY.  43 

and  began  talking  in  a  loud  twit- 
ter, every  now  and  then  turning 
her  bright  eye  round  upon  the 
young  bird. 

"  Bow,  wow,  wow  !  "  barked 
the  dog,  in  such  a  loud  roar 
that  Jack  shook  all  over.  But 
King  seemed  to  understand  that 
Mrs.  Robin  had  asked  his  inter- 
est in  her  young  fledgling,  and 
he  was  quite  ready  to  do  his 
part.  He  walked  a  step  or  two 
forward,  and  then  lay  down  to 


44      EOBINS  LEARNING  TO  FLY. 

survey  the  new  comer   at  his 
leisure. 

At  this  minute,  Annie  came 
running  to  the  door  with  an 
apron  full  of  crumbs.  Her  face 
was  glowing  with  pleasure,  and 
her  voice  was  so  kind  and  cheer- 
ful, as  she  called  out,  "Birdie, 
birdie,  pretty  birdie,"  that  Jack 
felt  acquainted  at  once. 

Mrs.  Robin  caught  one  crumb, 

swallowed    it,    and    then,    with 

.  a  glance  of  affection  at  Jack. 


LEARNING  TO  FLY.  45 

returned  to  her   duties  in  the 
tree. 

The  httle  robin  hopped  up 
nearer,  and  began  picking  up 
the  bread,  ever  and  anon  cock- 
ing his  funny  httle  head,  and 
chirping  pleasantly,  as  if  to  thank 
her  for  her  care.  Then  he  re- 
turned to  the  bush,  and  flew  up 
and  down,  up  and  down,  while 
Annie  laughed,  and  shouted,  and 
clapped  her  hands,  and  called  him 
the  smartest  bird  she  ever  knew. 


46      ROBINS  LEARNING  TO  FLY. 

CHAPTER    IV. 

GETTING  WORMS. 

"  Come,  Dick,"  said  Mrs.  Robin, 
in  an  encouraging  tone,  after  she 
had  related  Jack's  dehght  at  his 
success.  "Come,  now,  or  your 
httle  sisters  will  learn  to  fly  be- 
fore you  do." 

"I  don't  feel  at  all  afraid," 
chirped  Katy;  "now  Jack  has 
learned,  I  know  I  can." 

"  That  is  right,  my  dear,"  said 


GETTING  WORMS.  47 

her  mother.  "But  come,  Dick, 
your  father  is  getting  impa- 
tient." 

Dick  reluctantly  hopped  up  on 
the  side  of  the  nest. 

"]^ow,"  said  Mr.  Robin,  "I  will 
give  you  one  more  chance  to  re- 
trieve your  character.  Spread 
your  wings  and  fly  away,  or  be 
content  to  remain  in  the  nest 
without  food.  For  I  will  no 
longer  feed  so  disobedient  and 
obstinate  a  bird." 


48       ROBINS  LEARNING  TO  FLY. 

Mrs.  Robin  hopped  from  branch 
to  branch  uneasily,  while  her  hus- 
band was  speaking.  She  would 
not  be  guilty  of  the  impropriety 
of  interrupting  him  ]  but  she 
feared  he  was  making  a  threat 
his  parental  affection  w^ould  not 
allow  him  to  execute.  "  0,  I'm 
sure  Dick  will  try  to  be  as  brave 
as  his  brother ! "  she  said  ]  "  look, 
how  he  is  enjoying  himself,  pick- 
ing his  fill,  and  chirping  to  the 
dear  little  girl ! " 


GETTING  WOKMS.  49 

"I'll  chirp  one,  two,  three," 
said  his  father,  "and  don't  let 
me  find  you  here  when  I'm 
through." 

Dick,  though  very  much  afraid, 
was  more  than  half  inclined  to 
venture.  His  father's  threat  of 
leaving  him  without  food  had 
terrified  him;  and  then  he  saw 
Jack  in  the  enjoyment  of  plenty; 
but  he  could  not  quite  make  up 
his  mind  to  let  go  of  the  nest. 

"  Chirp,  chirp,"  cried  his  father. 


50      EOBINS  LEARNING  TO  FLY. 

Dick  trembled,  and  at  last  ven- 
tured to  hop  to  the  next  bough ; 
and  before  Mr.  Eobin  had  re- 
peated the  last  chirp,  his  mother 
went  behind  him  and  pushed 
him  off. 

Poor  Dick  was  awfully  fright- 
ened ;  but  before  he  had  time  to 
scream,  he  had  alighted  safely  at 
the  foot  of  the  tree. 

"  0  dear ! "  said  he,  straight- 
ening himself  up  with  a  bragga- 
docio air.     "It's  nothing  at  all. 


GETTING  WORMS.  51 

Here  I  am,  safe  and  sound.  I 
can  fly  now  as  well  as  any 
bird." 

Jack  flew  fi'om  the  lilac  bush 
to  congratulate  him  on  his  suc- 
cess. "  I  knew  you  could  fly,  if 
you  would  only  make  the  at- 
tempt," said  he,  kindly. 

"  Of  course  I  can  fly,"  answered 
Dick.  "  I  was  not  at  all  afi:'aid. 
I  saw  you  wanted  to  alight  first, 
and  so  I  held  back;  that  was 
all." 


52      ROBINS  LEARNING  TO  FLY. 

At  this  answer  Jack  was  very 
angry.  He  flew  at  his  brother, 
and  was  just  about  to  pick  him, 
when  he  remembered  his  prom- 
ise to  his  mother  to  strive  for 
peace. 

"After  all,"  said  he,  hopping 
away,  "  you  are  not  worth  quar- 
relling with.  You  are  a  wicked, 
lying  bird." 

"It  is  now  so  late,"  said  Mr. 
Robin  to  his  wife,  "I  think  we 
had  better  feed  Molly  and  Katy, 


GETTING  WORMS.  53 

and  eat  our  own  breakfast,  be- 
fore I  go  to  mj  cousin's  family. 
When  I  come  back,  we  will  give 
our  daughters  their  lessons." 

They  flew  away  first  to  the 
garden,  when  Mr.  Robin  stood 
a  moment,  as  was  his  custom, 
looking  vacantly  around.  Sud- 
denly he  cocked  his  ear  on  one 
side,  made  a  glancing  sort  of 
dart  with  his  head  and  neck, 
gave  one  or  two  little  hops,  then 
listened  attentively,  ^hile  his  eye 


54      EOBINS  LEARNING  TO  FLY. 

glistened  with  animation  and  in- 
telligence. He  held  his  beak 
close  down  to'  the  ground,  then 
drew  back  his  head  and  hopped 
once  or  twice  ]  then,  after  a  mo- 
ment's pause  to  ascertain  that 
all  was  right,  he  began  to  pick 
with  all  his  might,  and  presently 
pulled  out  a  fine  worm,  which 
his  keen  sense  of  hearing  in- 
formed him  was  not  far  off,  and 
which  his  hops  and  pickings  had 
brought  to  ^e  surface  to  escape 


GETTING  WORMS.  55 

what  the  poor  worm  thought 
was  his  underground  enemy, 
the  mole. 

After  having  repeated  this  pro- 
cess many  times,  until  Molly  and 
Katy  were  satisfied,  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Robin  flew  back  to  the  yard,  and 
alighted  at  the  cottage  door. 
Here  they  found  the  family  as- 
sembled to  watch  the  motions 
of  the  young  robins.  Jack  had 
grown  very  friendly  with  An- 
nie, and  had  even  ventured  to 


56      EOBINS  LEAENING  TO  FLY. 

hop  up  and  rest  on  Kyig's 
head. 

It  was  evident  to  all,  that  the 
dog  was  dehghted  with  this  mark 
of  friendship,  though  he  consid- 
ered it  beneath  his  dignity  to 
take  much  notice  of  the  little 
fellow. 

Dick  appeared  to  be  not  so 
great  a  favorite.  Fred  and  his 
sister  had  often  watched  him 
from  the  window,  and  had  al- 
ready given  him  the   name  of 


GETTING  WORMS.  57 

the  greedy  bird.  'Now  he  acted 
consistently  with  that  character, 
and  seemed  wholly  occupied  with 
the  crumbs,  hopping  about  and 
picking  them  up  as  fast  as  pos- 
sible. 

Mrs.  Robin  tried  to  make  an 
apology  for  him,  at  the  same 
time  calling  him  to  come  for- 
ward and  speak  to  his  kind 
friends.  But  Dick  could  only 
stop  to  bow  awlavardly,  and 
then  return  to   his  food  again. 


58      ROBINS  LEARNING  TO  FLY. 

Indeed,  he  much  wondered  how 
his  parents  and  brother  could 
wish  to  spend  their  time  in  talk- 
ing, while  there  was  such  a  feast 
spread  out  before  them. 

"  ]^ow,"  said  Mrs.  Robin  to 
Jack,  "  I  must  go  back  to  your 
sisters— will  you  go  with  me  ? " 

"I  will,"  answered  Jack,  "I 
want  to  tell  Katy  what  a  fine 
time  I  have  had."  So  he  turned 
up  his  head  in  a  very  arch  way 
to  Annie,  and  after  a  few  pretty 


GETTING  WORMS.  59 

little  chirps,  flew  lightly  into  the 
top  of  the  lilac  bush. 

Dick  made  no  answer,  and  his 
mother  determined  to  take  no 
notice  of  him,  but  to  let  him  re- 
turn to  the  nest  when  he  thought 
fit.  She  ascended  to  the  tree, 
where  Jack  ahghted  as  soon  as 
she  did. 

His  little  heart  panted  with 
the  excitement  and  exertion,  but 
his  mother  praised  him,  and  his 
sisters  received  him  with  joy. 

m 


60      KOBINS  LEARNING  TO  FLY. 
CHAPTER    V. 

SOEROW  IN   THE   NEST. 

"  I  DO  not  think,"  said  Molly, 
"  that  I  shall  ever  learn  to  fly." 

"0,  don't  be  afraid!"  cried 
Jack,  soothingly.  "We'll  all 
help  you." 

"  I  am  not  afraid,  but  I  cannot 
get  away  from  the  nest." 

"Why  not?"  asked  Mrs.  Rob- 
in, in  surprise.  "  Why  not  ? "  re- 
peated Jack  and  Katy. 

m 


SORROW  IN  THE  NEST.  61 

"  Because  my  foot  is  fastened 
to  the  bottom  of  it,"  replied  poor 
Molly,  in  a  mournful  tone. 

Her  mother  hopped  to  her 
side,  and  endeavored  to  remove 
a  long  piece  of  worsted  thread, 
which  was  woven  into  the  nest, 
and  was  now  firmly  twisted  about 
Molly's  leg. 

"  How  long  has  this  been 
done  ? "  she  asked,  in  an  anx- 
ious tone. 

"  I    first    discovered    it    last 


62      EOBINS  LEARNING  TO  FLY. 

night,"  said  the  patient  bird. 
"Every  time  I  tried  to  stir,  it 
bound  me  firmer  than  before.  I 
have  endeavered  to  remove  it 
with  my  beak,  but  I  think  I 
have  only  made  it  worse.  J^ow 
I  fear  I  can  never  learn  to  fly." 

"Dear  Molly,"  said  Jack,  press- 
ing his  neck  to  hers. 

"  I  will  stay  in  the  nest  with 
you,"  said  the  tender-hearted 
Katy. 

Mrs.  Robin  said  nothing,  but 


SORROW  IN  THE  NEST.  63 

after  flying  to  the  top  of  the 
tree  to  see  whether  her  husband 
was  in  sight,  she  began  to  pull 
at  the  string  ;  but  every  motion 
made  poor  Molly  utter  a  cry  of 
pain. 

"  I  must  be  content  to  remain 
quietly  in  the  nest,"  she  faltered, 
in  a  touching  tone  of  sadness. 

Jack  and  Katy  began  to  chirp 
most  piteously,  and  continued  to 
do  so  until  their  father  returned. 

In  the  mean  time  Dick  went 


64      KOBINS  LEARNING  TO  FLY. 

on  eating  nntil  he  could  scarcely 
move;  and  when  he  began  to 
thmk  it  was  time  to  return  to 
the  nest,  he  was  so  heavy  and 
stupid  that  he  could  not  raise  his 
wings.  He  heard  the  continued 
chirping  of  his  brother  and  sis- 
ter, and  said  to  himself,  "  Prob- 
ably they  are  anxious  about  me ; 
but  I  will  let  them  see  that  I 
can  take  care  of  myself" 

As  he  said  this  he  tried  to 
feel  very  brave,  but  he  really 


SORROW  IN  THE  NEST.  65 

longed  for  the  pleasant  nest  and 
the  shelter  of  his  mother's  wings. 

Just  then  he  heard  the  cock- 
rel  crowing  right  merrily.  He 
had  often  heard  it  before;  but 
now  it  sounded  dreadfully  loud 
and  near  at  hand ;  and  indeed  it 
was  so,  for  presently  Mr.  Cock 
came  marching  by,  his  head 
erect,  and  the  comb  on  his  fore- 
top  glowing  like  fire. 

Dick  ran  to  the  lilac  bush,  and 
trying  to  conceal  himself  in  some 


66      ROBINS  LEARNING  TO  FLY. 

of  the  lower  branches,  trembled 
like  a  leaf  in  the  wind.  Here  at 
last  he  fell  asleep,  with  his  head 
tucked  under  his  wing. 

When  Mr.  Robin  returned 
from  his  labor  of  love,  he  found 
his  wife  and  family  in  deep  afflic- 
tion. Poor  Molly  lay  exhausted 
at*  the  bottom  of  the  nest,  her 
limb  being  more  firmly  secured 
to  it  by  the  exertions  of  her 
mother  to  remove  it.  Jack  and 
Katy    kept     up    a    succession 


SORROW  IN  THE  NEST.  67 

of  plaintive  cries,  while  their 
mother  hopped  from  one  bough 
to  another,  her  tail  jerking  and 
her  wings  flapping  in  distress. 

They  all  began  at  once  to  re- 
peat the  sad  story  of  Molly's  de- 
tention, which  Mr.  Robin  listened 
to  with  sharp  cries  of  pain.  He 
hopped  into  the  nest,  but  the 
poor  bird  begged  so  earnestly 
not  to  be  disturbed  at  present, 
that  he  pos^oned  trying  to  re- 
move the  string  until  another  day. 


68      ROBINS  LEARNING  TO  FLY 

^^  Come^  darlings/^  said  he^  ^^  I 
will  sing  you  a  song^  to  try  to 
cheer  your  spirits.'^ 

He  flew  to  the  Observatory  at 
the  top  of  the  tree^  and  warbled 
forth^  — 

"  See,  the  morning  lights  the  skies ; 
Open,  birdie,  ope  your  eyes ; 
The  trees  begin  to  blossom  fair, 
And  fling  their  odors  on  the  air ; 
And  every  balmy  zephyr  brings 
Health  and  sweetness  on  its  wings. 
The  plants  w^ithin  the  garden  beds 
Begin  to  lift  their  pretly  heads. 
We,  merry  birds,  extend  our  throats. 


SORROW  IN  THE  NEST.  69 

And  carol  forth  our  sweetest  notes. 
The  hen,  with  all  her  little  brood, 
Comes  clucking  round  the  door  for  food ; 
Around  the  yard  the  pigeons  fly ; 
The  stately  geese,  with  heads  so  high, 
Are  marching  off  to  swim  and  scream, 
And  sport  upon  the  glassy  stream. 
The  fields  are  smiUng  all  around ; 
You  cannot  hear  one  jarring  sound ; 
There's  nothing  harsh,  there's  nothing  sad, 
But  all  seems  beautiful  and  glad. 
0,  how  delightful  all  we  see ! 
And  if  to  robins,  such  as  we, 
So  much  of  loveliness  is  given, 
How  very  charming  must  be  heaven ! " 


70      KOBINS  LEARNING  TO  FLY. 

CHAPTER    VI. 
KATY'S   FLIGHT. 

The  next  morning  Molly  felt 
quite  refreshed.  "  My  foot,"  she 
said,  in  answer  to  her  mother's 
inquiries,  "feels  quite  free  from 
pain.  I  am  convinced  that  it 
is  my  lot  to  remain  quietly  at 
home ;  and  I  will  try  to  bear  it 
as  cheerfully  as  1  can." 

"Dear  Molly,"  whispered  her 
mother. 


KATY'S  FLIGHT.  71 

"  Darling  sister,"  repeated  Jack 
and  Katy. 

Dick  said  nothing,  but  looked 
stupidly  from  one  to  the  other, 
wondering  what  they  could  mean. 
He  had  returned  to  the  nest  late 
the  previous  evening,  and  had  not 
heard  of  his  sister's  affliction. 

Mr.  Robin  sat  on  his  favorite 
bough,  gazing  sadly  at  the  poor 
bird.  He  had  not  yet  tried  to 
relieve  her,  and  notwithstanding 
his  wife's  fears,  indulged  strong 


72      ROBTNS  LEARNING  TO  FLY. 

hopes  of  being  able  to  remove 
the  string  without  breaking  the 
tender  hmb. 

'  "  I  cannot  be  really  unhappy," 
continued  Molly,  looking  cheer- 
fully around,  "  while  you  are  all 
so  kind.  To  be  sure,  I  have 
longed  for  the  time  when  I 
could  fly  from  bough  to  bough, 
or  skim  through  the  clear  air ; 
and  I  have  hoped,  when  I  was 
old  enough,  to  find  a  mate  and 
rear  a  family  of  my  own  in  the 


KATY'S  FLIGHT.  73 

same  sweet,  peaceful  happiness 
as  our  dear  parents  have  reared 
us  ]  but  now  I  resign  all  these 
innocent  joys,  and  find  my  de- 
light in  sharing  yours. 

"  Come,  dear  Katy,"  she  added, 
"  let  me  no  longer  detain  you 
from  your  morning  flight.  I 
long  to  see  how  gracefully  you 
will  raise  your  pinions  and  soar 
away." 

"  Sweetest  and  best  of  sisters," 
murmured  Katy,  in  a  loving  tone, 


74      EOBINS  LEARNING  TO  FLY. 

''  every  moment  I  love  you  better 
than  before,  and  am  more  sorry 
to  leave  you ; "  and  she  nestled 
closely  to  Molly's  side. 

"You  will  soon  return,  dear 
one,"  said  her  sister,  tenderly ; 
"and  remember  there  will  al- 
ways be  one  heart  in  the  nest 
that  will  welcome  you  with  joy. 
Go  now,  love,  and  treasure  up 
all  you  hear  and  see,  to  cheer 
me  in  my  solitude." 

While    this    beautiful    inter- 


KATY'S  FLIGHT.  75 

change  of  affection  was  taking 
place,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Robin,  the 
dehghted  parents,  were  sitting 
near,  their  hearts  every  moment 
swelUng  with  pleasure. 

"  [N'ow,"  said  the  tender  mother 
to  herself,  "  I  am  well  repaid  for 
all  my  care  and  watchfulness  of 
my  beloved  children  ;  for  all  my 
share  of  the  labor  of  building  a 
nest ;  for  the  long  days  and  nights, 
through  cold  and  rain,  that  I 
have  sheltered  my  eggs,  until  at 


76      ROBINS  LEARNING  TO  FLY. 

last  I  have  seen  the  dear  ones 
come  forth. 

"  Yes,  indeed,  and  for  the  anx- 
iety with  which  I  have  endeav- 
ored to  impress  virtue  and  affec- 
tion upon  their  young  minds. 
To  see  them  growing  up  in  the 
interchange  of  mutual  affection, 
and  to  hear  them  give  utterance 
to  pure  and  noble  sentiments, 
far  exceed  all  the  joys  of  my 
lifetime." 

One  thought  of  Dick,  as  unlike 


KATY'S  FLIGHT.  77 

the  others,  intruded  itself  upon 
her  mind  ;  but  she  would  not 
allow  this  to  interrupt  the  de- 
light she  had  experienced. 

Yery  similar  were  the  thoughts 
and  emotions  of  Mr.  Robin,  but 
mingled  with  them  was  a  plan 
he  was  forming  for  the  benefit 
of  his  dear  child.  His  purpose 
was  to  attract  to  his  nest  the 
notice  of  some  kind  friend  at 
the  cottage.  If  he  could  suc- 
ceed in  this,  he  was   perfectly 


78      EOBINS  LEARNING  TO  FLY. 

confident  that  she  could  be  Hb- 
erated. 

But  now  his  attention  must  be 
given  to  Katj,  who,  in  obedience 
to  her  sister's  wish,  hopped  to 
the  side  of  the  nest. 

"  0,  dear  ! "  she  chirped ;  "  it 
seems  a  very  long  way  to  the 
ground." 

"  It's  just  nothing  at  all,"  said 
Dick,  spreading  his  wings  and 
flying  away. 

"I  know  just  how  you  feel," 


KATY'S  FLIGHT.  79 

added  Jack  ;  "  but  it  is  really 
safe,  or  our  parents  would  not 
allow  us  to  try  it ;  —  and  only 
think  what  delightful  sails  we 
will  have  through  the  bracing 
air.  Come,  dear,  now  we'll 
start." 

"  Steady,  my  little  one,"  called 
out  Mr.  Robin.  "  Open  your 
wings  like  this.  There,  that  is 
right ;  now  let  go  the  nest.  One 
moment  more,  and  you'll  be  safe 
on  the  ground." 


80      EOBINS  LEARNING  TO  FLY. 

"  Bravo  !  pretty  bird,  bravo  ! " 
shouted  Fred,  who  had  that  mo- 
ment opened  the  outer  door. 
"  That  was  well  done  for  a  begin- 
ner. Come,  hop  up  this  way, 
and  I'll  give  you  some  crumbs." 

"  Chirp,  chirp,  chirp,"  answered 
little  Katy,  her  bright  eyes  twin- 
kling with  pleasure. 

Fred  darted  into  the  house, 
and  presently  returned  with  a 
liberal  supply  of  food. 

Mr.  Robin  caught  up  the  lar- 


KATY'S  FLIGHT.  81 

gest  piece  just  as  Dick  was  hop- 
ping toward  it,  and  ascended 
with  it  to  the  nest. 

"  0,  ho !  "  exclaimed  Fred,  "  I 
suppose  there  are  more  birdies 
in  the  tree." 

"  Yes,"  said  Annie,  "  who  had 
run  to  the  door  in  her  night 
dress,  "you  know  we  counted 
four  httle  mites  of  robins." 

"  0,  don't  let  that  greedy  bird 
get  all  the  best  crumbs!"  she 
added,  as  Dick  hopped  from  one 


82       KOBINS  LEAENING  TO  FLY. 

piece  of  bread  to  another,  catch- 
ing them  up  as  fast  as  he  could. 

"Just  see  how  pretty  those 
act/'  said  Fred,  pointing  to  Jack 
and  Katy. 

"  Yes,  he  stands  back  to  give 
her  a  chance,  but  the  greedy 
one  cares  for  none  but  himself" 


MR  ROBIN'S  APPEAL.  83 

CHAPTER    VII. 
ME.  EOBIN'S  APPEAL. 

When  the  tender  parents  had 
finished  their  wiUing  task  of  feed- 
ing Molly,  they  hopped  forward 
close  to  th.e  very  door  of  the 
cottage,  and  seeing  the  old  gen- 
tleman sitting  in  the  room,  Mr. 
Robin  made  bold  to  walk  in  and 
make  known  his  errand. 

"  I  wonder  what  he  is  talking 
about,  so  very  loud  and  earnest," 


84      KOBINS  LEARNING  TO  FLY. 

exclaimed  Fred,  coming  in  soft- 
ly behind  him. 

"  I  don't  know ;  but  he  is  very 
zealous  about  it.  See  how  he 
turns  first  one  eye,  then  the 
other,  while  he  twitters  away  as 
if  his  life  depended  upon  making 
us  understand." 

Suddenly  robin  uttered  a  sharp 
cry,  and  flew  away  toward  the 
nest ;  and  before  they  could  ex- 
press their  surprise,  he  was  back 
again,  twittermg  as  fast  as  ever. 


MR.  ROBIN'S  APPEAL  85 

Fred  laughed  aloud.  "  How 
very  funny ! "  he  cried.  "  What 
does  it  mean?  He  never  did 
so  before." 

"  I  have  no  doubt  he  is  trying 
to  tell  us  something  ;  and  I  fear 
it  is  not  pleasant  news,  from  his 
mournful  cry." 

"  I  wish  we  could  understand," 
said  the  boy.  • 

"  I  once  read  of  a  man,"  said 
grandpa,  "who,  from  his  boy- 
hood, had  studied  the  language 


86      KOBINS  LEARNING  TO  FLY. 

of  birds,  and  by  close  attention 
had  acquired  such  a  knowledge 
of  it,  that  from  the  song  of  the 
parents,  he  knew  where  the  nests 
were  situated,  whether  they  con- 
tained eggs,  or  whether  the  brood 
was  hatched.  He  knew  even  the 
number  of  young  birds  and  then* 
age,  before  he  saw  them.  This 
is  truly  wonderful,  and  if  I  had 
not  read  it  from  the  best  author- 
ity, I  could  hardly  credit  it.  If 
so,  I  suppose,  by  careful  observa- 


MR.  ROBIN'S  APPEAL.  87 

tion,  we  could  in  many  cases 
understand  their  different  notes, 
and  thus  learn  their  wants  and 
emotions,  as  well  as  the  birds 
themselves  do. 

"  I  was  once  walking  in  a  wood, 
and  caught  sight  of  a  party  of 
jays  before  they  saw  me.  They 
were  all  chattering  together  and 
enj  oying  themselves  highly.  Sud- 
denly one  of  them  uttered  a  short, 
deep-toned  note,  when  in  an  in- 
stant all  was  silent,  —  and  they 


88      ROBINS  LEAENING  TO  FLY. 

skulked  one  by  one  to  a  neigh- 
boring thicket." 

"I  suppose  one  of  them  caught 
a  glimpse  of  you,  and  warned  the 
others  that  you  were  near  enough 
to  listen  to  their  secrets,"  said 
Fred,  with  a  hearty  laugh. 

Grandpa  now  took  his  cane 
and  walked  to  the  door,  deter- 
mined, as  the  appeal  was  made 
to  him,  to  watch  the  m'otions  of 
the  robins,  and  try  to  help  them 
if  they  were  in  trouble. 


MR.  ROBIN'S  APPEAL.        .    89 

But  though  Mr.  Robin  kept 
repeating  his  flight  to  the  nest, 
and  his  effort  to  talk,  nothing 
could  be  made  of  it ;  and  at 
length  the  poor  father  seemed 
to  despair. 

In  the  mean  time.  Jack,  Katy 
and  Annie  were  chatting  merrily 
together ;  and  before  this  first 
interview  closed,  Katy  had  even 
ventured  to  take  a  crumb  from 
Annie's  mouth.  This  the  child 
thought  the  very  summit  of  hap- 


90      EOBINS  LEARNING  TO  FLY. 

piness,  and  called  loudly  to  her 
mother  to  come  and  share  her 
delight. 

Jack  was  evidently  very  proud 
of  his  sister ;  and  while  this  was 
going  oUj  hopped  from  one  to  the 
other,  his  small  head  cocked  in  a 
very  arch  manner. 

After  a  time  the  little  ones 
hopped  away,  as  they  wished  to 
fly  back  to  the  nest.  Katy  was 
quite  impatient  to  impart  her 
success  to  her  sister ;  but  when 


ME.  ROBIN'S  APPEAL.  91 

she  glanced  up  into  the  tree,  she 
was  almost  in  despair. 

"  Fly  up  a  few  times  into  this 
bough,"  said  Jack.  "  It  is  beau- 
tiful exercise." 

Katy  did  so,  and  presently, 
with  a  beating  heart,  from  the 
bush  mounted  to  the  nest. 

"  0  Molly ! "  she  cried,  "  if  you 
had  been  with  us,  I  should  have 
been  the  happiest  bird  that  ever 
lived." 

"How  like  her  mother   she 


92      ROBINS  LEARNING  TO  FLY. 

grows ! "  said  Mr.  Robin  to  him- 
self, as  he  gazed  lovingly  upon 
his  youngest  child. 

"Every  time  I  picked  up  a 
crumb  I  thought  of  you,"  said 
Jack  —  "of  you  alone  here  in 
the  nest." 

"I  have  scarcely  been  alone  a 
moment,"  said  Molly.  "Either 
father  or  mother  has  been  v^ith 
me,  and  they  have  treated  me 
to  a  delicious  feast.  I  shall 
soon  become  quite  reconciled  to 


MR.  ROBIN'S  APPEAL.  93 

my  situation.  But  where  is 
Dick?" 

"  He  is  eating,  as  usual,"  said 
Mr.  Robin,  in  a  stern  voice. 

Jack  and  Katy  now  repeated 
the  adventures  of  the  morning, 
to  which  their  sister  hstened 
with  great  interest. 

"I  can't  help  thinking  about 
Mr.  Robin,"  said  grandpa,  tak- 
ing his  cane  and  walking  out 
of  doors  as  soon  as  breakfast 
was  over.     "  Birds  have  a  won- 


94      ROBINS  LEARNING  TO  FLY. 

derful  instinct ;  and  I  have  no 
doubt  he  was  asking  my  aid 
about  something.  They  will 
often  fly  to  man  for  protection 
when  pursued  by  an  enemy." 

"I  wish  you  would  tell  us  a 
story  about  a  bird,"  said  Annie, 
earnestly. 

The  old  gentleman  seated  him- 
self in  his  chair,  and  after  resting 
his  chin  on  the  top  of  his  cane 
for  a  moment,  he  began :  "  A 
beautiful  pair  of  goldfinches  once 


MR.  ROBIN'S  APPEAL.  95 

built  their  nest  on  a  small  branch 
of  an  olive  tree.  The  female  laid 
the  eggs  and  hatched  the  young 
brood,  when  the  parents  per- 
ceived that  the  weight  of  the 
growing  family  would  soon  be 
too  great  for  the  strength  of 
the  branch  which  supported  the 
nest.  This  fact  was  evident  to 
the  family  who  lived  near,  and 
had  watched  with  interest  the 
proceedings  of  the  birds. 

"  One  morning  the  goldfinches 


96      ROBINS  LEARNING  TO  FLY.    - 

found  their  nest  was  giving  way, 
and  that  something  must  be  done 
at  once,  or  it  would  fall.  They 
consulted  together,  then  picked 
up  a  string,  and  with  their  beaks 
drew  it  around  the  slender  twig, 
and  then  fastened  it  to  a  stronger 
and  higher  branch  of  the  tree. 
Thus  they  saved  their  fiaJhng 
house." 


YB  37071 


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